Friday, 30 May 2008

What do you think this extremely rude version of the male symbol means? Is it an advertisement for Viagra? Is it a graphic for one of those pesky spams enticing you to turn your weeny member into a python? Is it a feeble imitation of a shiny steel Koons? Could it even be a warning of what might happen to your testis if you field a cricket ball up the crotch (not recommended even when wearing a shield)? No. This is Inwendig Volle Figur (Inwendig Full Figure?) by possibly the worst artist not to be blackballed by a Royal Academician: Anish Kapoor. Today the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, USA, opened an exhibition of his stuff: Anish Kapoor: Past, Present, Future. And I thought Bostonians were supposed to be civilized. Silly me.

Thanks for the confirmation. I thought it was rude, but the blurb didn't tell me.

Don't deride yourself. It's very easy to overrate an RA. Some of the greatest names in art were RAs, but that was before the Brit. Anti-art Establishment infiltrated the Royal Academy of Arts. I don't know of one decent artist among today's RAs.

Go with your gut feeling and ignore the hype. If you feel "Wow!" it's probably good. If you feel "Yuk!" it's probably bad.